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Water taxis due for Coast Guard inspection, could be running by Friday

The Jacksonville Water Taxi "Downtown" is lifted out of the water at Sadler Point Marina, on August 6, 2014, in Jacksonville, Florida. Wednesday was the last time the "Downtown" would be on the St. Johns River as a crew prepared it for the journey to its new home of Baltimore, Maryland tomorrow. A special tractor trailer, and a lot of permits, is required to move the 16 foot wide vessel over land.

The new Jacksonville Water Taxi floats at the dock on Friday, June 13, 2014 at the Sadler Point Marina in Jacksonville.

Water taxi service could resume Friday in downtown Jacksonville – if the U.S. Coast Guard clears the boats to operate.

The agency plans to check out the boats beginning about 9 a.m. Thursday at The Jacksonville Landing, said Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen, an agency spokeswoman.

“If everything goes well … with the inspections, we do plan on starting Friday,” said city spokeswoman Pam Roman.

Jorgensen said the inspections might finish by 6 p.m. Thursday, but could run longer if problems turn up in the vessels. She said the inspection time isn’t unusual.

A contract for Jacksonville-based Lakeshore Marine to operate the two boats for up to six months also was being finalized Wednesday, Roman said.

The same company had the best bid for a long-term contract, maybe stretching for five years, but that agreement is still being negotiated.

The city ordered the boats – the 100-passenger Native Choice and the 50-passenger Sea Charm 1 – when a company that used to operate in Jacksonville shut down in early June. They’ve been sitting at a Westside marina since city lawyers noted the Mayor’s Office didn’t have legal authority to pay the $338,500 cost for the boats, and the City Council wasn’t in a rush to approve it.

Beaver Street Fisheries Chairman Harry Frisch later agreed to buy the vessels and resell them later, as long as he didn’t have liability for any problems that happen while they’re operating.